Asynchronous Development is a concept that confounds many people. While everyone develops differently, twice-exceptional children tend to have greater disparities. Watch this video to gain a deeper understanding of this term and how it impacts the social/emotional development of twice-exceptional children. After watching, explain asynchronous development and describe how two interventions that you can share with parents about how to successfully support a twice-exceptional child's social/emotional development.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Asynchronous Development in Gifted Children
Asynchronous Development is a concept that confounds many people. While everyone develops differently, twice-exceptional children tend to have greater disparities. Watch this video to gain a deeper understanding of this term and how it impacts the social/emotional development of twice-exceptional children. After watching, explain asynchronous development and describe how two interventions that you can share with parents about how to successfully support a twice-exceptional child's social/emotional development.
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Asynchronous development is simply developing different from the norm. As it applies to the gifted child, it is, “advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combining to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching, and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.” In layman’s terms, asynchronous development is the different aspects that exist on the developmental continuum of a child, developing at rates that are above or below the norm, but at the same time. For instance, an 8 year old student may have the academic capacity of a 15 year old; the reasoning ability of a 12 year old; their social development could be that of an 8 year old; their emotional development could be that of a 4 year old. This student’s development could easily be seen as having peaks and valleys. It would be very easy to dismiss this as natural growth and say, “he/she will outgrow this phase”. The reality of it is that if the needs of each peak and valley are not met, educators put the student at risk of not meeting their full potential.
ReplyDeleteTo accommodate for the peaks and valleys, I would suggest many interventions that could help the teacher, parent, and student navigate this often trying time. Specifically, I would include the two following additions to any gifted program: 1. I would intentionally add opportunities for gifted students to work in teams with those both more capable and less capable than he or she. This will allow some specific problem solving skills to develop that could help bridge the gap between what the student knows and how they both acquire as well as share information. Often gifted students are a bit behind the curve when it comes to interacting with other students, especially those their own age. Giving them opportunities to demonstrate understanding, learn from their environment, as well as develop the teamwork skills necessary for success in life are critical to helping ensure this student’s maximum development. I would also encourage parents of gifted children to balance the student’s involvement with those who can both challenge them mentally with those who challenge them socially. 2. I would include deliberate training and practice on the managing of emotions. Overexcitability, hypersensitivities, perfectionism – these are just a few of the emotional issues that gifted children experience. These are also the same qualities that allow them to hone and develop their talent. It is imperative that educators teach students to manage the emotions and use them for good. Such training can also be transferred to parents as the deliberate teaching and learning of the managing of emotions is reinforced at home. Educators don’t often think of the social and emotional implications of academic curriculum on students. With the asynchronous development of gifted students, we must.
Asynchronous development refers to the incongruity between cognitive, social, and/or emotional development experienced by those with both high intelligence and heightened sensitivity. Gifted students’ disproportionate abilities and capacities are usually observable. For example, a 10 year old may have the math ability of a 16 year old but the emotional intelligence of a 10 year old (or a 5 year old for that matter). Often, heightened cognitive awareness puts gifted students into a position where they understand the complexities and ethical dilemmas of situations but lack the life experience or emotional maturity to effectively handle them.
ReplyDeleteThe struggle to negotiate the peaks and valleys of their cognitive-emotional topography creates intensity, sensitivity, and misunderstanding. This is why it’s important that parents, teachers, classmates, and the students themselves understand the nature of asynchronicity and explore ways in which they may accommodate this aspect of gifted students’ development. Educators and administrators can implement practices that help gifted students bridge the gaps and tolerate inconsistencies when they encounter them.
Learning is believed to be “dependent on the ability to take in and process sensation from movement and environment and use it to plan and organize behavior” (Bundy, Lane, and Murray, 2002, p. 5). Gifted, especially highly gifted, students experience challenges with sensory modulation, so one strategy may rely basic sensory integration and self-monitoring as a framework. To do this, first, there needs to be a rapport between teacher and student that may facilitate discussions about the fact that people feel and react differently-even when exposed to the same stimuli. Next, teachers can help students identify emotional states and recognize them when they arise. Then, teachers can provide these students with a steady sensory diet and work with them specifically on self-regulation. This may help them integrate more effectively if their oversensitivities are so overwhelming that they inhibit healthy participation in school and life.
I think it’s possible that kids with oversensitivities are mistaken as being immature or functioning at a lower age. It’s important that they spend time with their same-age peers. However, doing this alone doesn’t address the underlying issues that make gifted kids feel and behave uniquely.
In fact, many gifted kids feel more comfortable around older kids or adults because they relate with them on intellectual and ethical issues or share concerns about existential questions or international news events, for instance. Being around same-age peers further alienates gifted kids and encourages them to “follow suit”, downplaying their intelligence and failing to express their true interests or feelings to the group. What may be more effective is to provide gifted kids with older mentors who experienced the same feelings and can offer practical insights on how to handle them. They can offer new perspectives on problems the asynchronous student is facing and help relieve the student’s feeling of isolation.
This is not a simple problem, as each student is unique- which underlines why we must focus on accommodating each child's individual needs in reference to asynchronous development as well as other issues effecting education of the gifted.